sixorgansofadmittance

Six Organs of Admittance -

Shelter from the Ash

(Drag City)

Select Discography

Dark Noontide (2002)

School of the Flower (2005)

The Sun Awakens (2006)

Shelter from the Ash (2007)

At this point in Ben Chasny’s
storied career, it is unfair to continue referring to John Fahey and Robbie
Basho in an attempt to situate the Eureka native’s musical orientation.
His accomplishments in Six Organs of Admittance, as well as Comets on Fire and
various other collaborations, have well-established Chasny as one of the
forerunners of the so-called New Weird America movement that has made him an
almost iconic model within psychedelic and folk music circles. Shelter from the
Ash, the latest addition to an already extensive Six Organs catalog, continues
down the same creative path of Chasny’s earlier work, albeit a path that grows
darker as it winds.

Shelter from the Ash is marked by a foreboding sense of destruction and despair
that purposely create unresolved tensions within the listener. Chasny and
company waste no time establishing this effect by opening with the gently
picked melodies and shadowy drones of “Alone with the Alone." Inspired by
the mystical world of Sufism, the song’s pensive hum is highlighted by a pair
of striking guitar solos that prove to be as pleasing as they are
disconcerting. While it may seem tenuous ground for a songwriter to stand, it
is exactly within this delicate balance of distress and aural bliss that Six
Organs attain their utmost success. Even during the album’s more serene
moments, especially those that introduce the syrupy vocals of Elisa Ambrogio
(Magik Markers), tranquility is offset by a lurking sense of harrowing loss.

While Shelter from the Ash is not an explicit political statement, there
certainly exist allusions to the current Middle East crisis that permeate
throughout the album. Portentous lyrics - “it ain’t between who we know/ one
quick war to come/ god ain’t breeding and the end is fear/ all us with rotten
teeth hum/ I’m coming to get you” – combine with a swirling mass of acoustic
interludes, meditative drones, buzzing guitars, and ominous vocals to play out
the dramas that reflect war’s grim realities. It is an effort that Chasny’s
current supporting cast seamlessly sews together in order to present a majestic
yet apocalyptic vision that continues to haunt the listener long after the
music fades.

It is impossible to try and position any Six Organs release against another and
argue the worth of one over the next. However, in the weaving together of this
bleak tale, we are allowed access to a more brooding version of Chasny than was
previously realized. As we look at today’s precarious state of world affairs,
the timeliness of this unsettling release may prove to be the most provocative
and enduring work of Chasny’s catalog.